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LIFE / Travel
May 1, 2001

Taking Japan's back trails to far towns

Lonely Planet Publications has recently added to its 560-strong stable of travel books by producing a series of hiking guides, including one dedicated to the tracks and trails of Japan.
JAPAN
May 1, 2001

'Rose of Versailles' comic to be made an Italian opera

A hit 1970s comic book about tragic love in 18th-century France that spawned its own musical is to become an opera, the author of "Berusaiyu no Bara" ("The Rose of Versailles") said in a recent interview with Kyodo News.
MULTIMEDIA / TALK OF THE TIMES
Apr 30, 2001

Top JAWOC official says FIFA should have studied local culture

Yasuhiko Endo assumed the post of general secretary of the Japan World Cup Organizing Committee (JAWOC) two years ago, a position that requires all the patience and diplomatic skills he acquired during his years serving in the Ministry of Home Affairs.
JAPAN
Apr 28, 2001

State held liable for Minamata disease

OSAKA -- The Osaka High Court on Friday ordered the central and Kumamoto Prefectural governments and a chemical company to pay 320 million yen in damages to people recognized as suffering from Minamata disease and the families of victims who have died.
BUSINESS
Apr 28, 2001

Falling trend in output called 'very rare'

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry on Friday downgraded its assessment of industrial production activities for the fourth consecutive month, saying they are on a "falling trend."
JAPAN
Apr 28, 2001

People want social support, hope, economic stability from the Cabinet

Support for the victims of a volcanic eruption and economic stability are just two of the many things the public wants from the Cabinet of new Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
BUSINESS
Apr 28, 2001

Household spending marks record decline

Salaried workers' households spent less in fiscal 2000 than the previous year for a record fourth straight yearly fall, the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications said Friday.
SOCCER / World cup
Apr 27, 2001

FIFA happy about 2002 ticket requests

David H. Will, the chairman of FIFA's World Cup Ticketing Sub-Committee, told a news conference in Tokyo on Thursday that he was "astonished " at the demand for tickets in the host countries, particularly Japan.
BUSINESS
Apr 26, 2001

Toyota's stake in Hino to be raised to 50.1%

Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday it will raise its stake in truck manufacturer Hino Motors Ltd. to 50.1 percent from the current 36.6 percent in late August with the purchase of new Hino shares.
BUSINESS
Apr 26, 2001

Pasteless toothbrush shocks teeth clean

A toothbrush innovation may make messy toothpaste obsolete within a couple of years, according to the firm that developed the new tool.
JAPAN
Apr 25, 2001

Hospitals hurt by competition

Medical institutions are struggling to survive in the wake of a government policy to curb national medical expenses from the current 30 trillion yen a year.
JAPAN
Apr 25, 2001

Bush defers decision on selling Aegis ships to Taipei

WASHINGTON -- In a decision closely watched by China, President George W. Bush deferred deciding on Taiwan's request to buy U.S. destroyers equipped with high-tech Aegis combat radar equipment, leaving open the possibility of future sales if Beijing's military threats against the island persist, officials...
BUSINESS
Apr 25, 2001

FTC raids elevator firm over charges of obstruction

Investigators from the Fair Trade Commission raided the offices of Mitsubishi Electric Corp.'s elevator maintenance unit and other locations Tuesday, following allegations that the company obstructed its rivals' bids to repair Mitsubishi elevators.
EDITORIALS
Apr 24, 2001

Mr. Lee comes with baggage

Former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui is now on a "private" visit to Japan with a visa the Japanese government issued after days of vacillation -- and with strings attached: Mr. Lee should stay in Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, where he will get a medical checkup, and should not conduct any political...
BUSINESS
Apr 24, 2001

Necktie maker folds amid import glut

OSAKA -- Apparel wholesaler Asakurashoji Co. has applied for court protection from creditors under a fast-track corporate rehabilitation law, a private research institute said Monday.
BUSINESS
Apr 23, 2001

Dollar likely to stay firm against yen

The U.S. dollar is likely to be firm against the yen in Tokyo next week as uncertainty over Japan's politics and economy continues to restrain the currency, dealers said.
CULTURE / Music
Apr 22, 2001

Musicians take it back to the bridge

It's Saturday night, and the basement rock 'n' roll club Penguin House in Koenji is packed to bursting. As late-coming guests crowd down the stairs, the performer, Dai Yamamoto, takes the stage and tunes up his instrument.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Apr 22, 2001

Big novels get the small-screen treatment

Jiro Asada won Japan's prestigious Naoki Prize for literature in 1997 for his novel "Poppoya," which was later made into a hit movie starring Ken Takakura. His followup, "Tengoku made no Hyaku Mairu (The One Hundred Miles to Heaven)," was published in the fall of 1998. Veteran TV director Katsumi Oyama...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 21, 2001

China faces a dilemma in ties with U.S.

HONG KONG -- In the end, China released those 24 members of the crew of the U.S. EP-3E reconnaissance plane just in the nick of time. The end of the crew's detention -- plus China's decision not to put any of the crew on trial, as some hardliners had advocated -- came just in time to undercut a growing...
JAPAN
Apr 21, 2001

Sogo shareholders file suit against ex-chairman, auditor

OSAKA -- Eight shareholders of Sogo Co. filed a lawsuit Friday against the former chairman of the collapsed department store chain and the company's auditor, seeking some 8 million yen to cover losses from the sharp drop in the firm's stock price.
BUSINESS
Apr 21, 2001

Economic gauge revised downward

The government said Friday that it has revised downward its key gauge of the state of the economy for February due to weak production-related data.
BUSINESS
Apr 21, 2001

Coalition to cut tax on small capital gains

The ruling coalition on Friday finalized proposals for revising securities taxes, which feature incentives for individual investors to boost flagging markets.
JAPAN
Apr 20, 2001

Teen arrested over counterfeit cash

A 16-year-old Tokyo high school student was arrested Tuesday for using a counterfeit 10,000 yen bill at a lottery booth in the Shibuya district, police alleged Thursday.
JAPAN
Apr 20, 2001

Ministry calls for halt to shipments of painkiller

The Health Ministry on Thursday asked 25 pharmaceutical companies to halt shipments of prescription medicines containing phenacetin for use as an antifebrile drug and pain killer, which it said carries the risk of serious renal damage, bladder cancer and other ailments, when taken over long periods in...
BUSINESS
Apr 19, 2001

Chemical giants set merger target for 2004

Sumitomo Chemical Co. and Mitsui Chemicals Inc., which last year announced plans to merge under a joint holding company in October 2003, have agreed to let the holding firm absorb all entities in their groups by April 2004 to become a single company, company officials said Wednesday. The merger will...
BUSINESS
Apr 19, 2001

Kawasaki Steel, U.S. firm join forces

Kawasaki Steel Corp. said Wednesday it has signed an agreement with AK Steel Corp. of the United States to cooperate on research and technology for automotive steel.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?